San Francisco homeowner, day laborers lose out in scam

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An unlicensed contractor was charged in court Monday with multiple felonies for allegedly defrauding a San Francisco homeowner and day laborers.

Danny Ho, 52, of San Francisco pleaded not guilty to charges including grand theft and fraudulent use of another contractor’s license number. He is in custody on $300,000 bail.

According to prosecutors, Ho agreed to remodel an Ingleside resident’s home in February 2010. He was paid more than $30,000 for the job, but then allegedly abandoned it and failed to pay three workers he hired. He had allegedly impersonated a licensed contractor in San Francisco with the same last name.

Rick Lopes of the Contractors State License Board said Ho had been cited by the board more than a half-dozen times in recent years and had served jail time on another case in San Mateo County. “He’s not somebody out there just trying to make a buck — his goal is to rip off people,” Lopes said.

A local law firm serving the immigrant community said it had filed civil wage claims against Ho on behalf of 14 allegedly unpaid workers, totaling nearly $85,000.